Connector



Feb. 18, 1964 Filed April 27, 1962 U- TUCHEL CONNECTOR FIG. 7

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ULvid TuckzeL INVENTOR:

Feb. 18, 1964 u, uc 3,121,602

CONNECTOR Filed April 27, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NVENTOR'.

Ulrich Tudzel United States Patent 3,121,692 CUNNECTGR Uh'ich Tuchel, Katzensteige 12, Heilbronn (Nether), Germany Filed Apr. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 190,713 Claims priority, application Germany May 2, 1961 1 Claim. ((31. 339275) The present invention relates to a connector.

More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical, plug-in type connector having a resilient, tubular contact member which has contact springs at one of its ends, mounting elements in its intermediate region, and a solder receptacle at its other end. In such connectons, difficulties have arisen particularly insofar as preventing the solder from flowing out of the receptacle is concerned, and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a contact which overcomes this drawback, as well as to provide an improved connector having other advantages which heretofore known connectors lack. With this object in view, the present invention resides basically in a contact member of the above type which is provided with a plug that is arranged fluid-tightly in the end forming the receptacle. The plug thus constitutes the bottom of the receptacle and prevents the solder from flowing from the receptacle to the intermediate region.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end view of a connector according to the present invention, as seen in the direction of the an row 10 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connector according to the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a flat blank from which the contact member incorporated in a connector according to the present invention may be made.

Referring now to the drawings and FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof in particular, the same show a connector according to the present invention which comprises a contact member 1 and a plug The contact member 1 itself is preferably one integral element which is of elongated tubular configuration. As shown in FIGURE 2, the contact member 1 can be thought of as being divided into three regions, namely, a first end region I, an intermedi ate region II, and a second end region III. At region I, the contact member is provided with contact springs in the form of resilient tongues 3 having edges 4 which make electrical contact with a fiat, knife-like cooperating contact member (not shown) when the latter is introduced between the opposite tongues 3. At the intermediate region II, the contact member is provided with holding or mounting means which serve to attach the contact to a support, such as a plastic mounting body. The mounting means may be constituted by upwardly extending lugs 5 and a downwardly depending tongue 6. At the region III, the tubularly configured contact member forms a receptacle '7 for solder by means of which a lead (not shown) is mechanically and electrically secured to the contact. The left-hand edges of the region III, as viewed in FIGURE 2, are bevelled as shown at 8; furthermore, the contact member 1 is provided with an opening 9 communicating with the receptacle 7. Both of these two last-named features facilitate the soldering operation, as is well known.

According to the present invention a round plug 2 is arranged in the end region III and, as shown in FIGURE 2, constitutes a bottom for the receptacle 7. This plug is arranged fixedly and fluid-tightly within the tubular contact member 1.

See

The contact member 1 described above may be made from a flat blank of resilient material, as, for example, beryllium bronze. The original configuration of the blank, shown in FIGURE 3 in which the various portions are indicated by the reference numerals representing the component parts of the finished article, may be obtained by punching, stamping or pressing. The blank is then rolled or otherwise formed about the plug 2 in such a manner as to establish a fixed and fluid-tight connection between the inner surface of the now tubular contact member 1 and the plug 2. In order to obtain this result, it is expedient to make the plug of a material softer than that of which the member 1 is made, so that, during the rolling or forming process, the surface of the plug is partially deformed, which makes it easier to obtain a fiuid-tight sea-l. In practice, the plug may, for example, be made of any suitable metal as copper or brass.

The above-described connector according to the present invention is particularly well suited for use in the very smallest of structures, as well as in highfrequency and other electronic devices.

It will be appreciated that the plug efiectively separates the solder receptacle from the other regions of the contact which are intended for other purposes. As stated above, the plug prevents the solder or other liquid fusing means, such as resins which, at elevated temperature, become very thin and flowable, from leaving the receptacle and reaching the mounting means as well as the contact springs. Such how would occur, due to capillary action, if even a very thin channel of communication were to exist between the receptacle and the intermediate region of the connector.

Additionally, the plug prevents the wire, strand, or other lead to be attached to the connector from being passed through the intermediate region of the contact member at which the mounting elements are located into the right-hand end region I at which the contact springs are located.

Moreover, the plug renders the region of the receptacle bottom mechanically strong and helps the connector, in this region, to retain its shape.

Since the plug is in firm contact with the contact member, the two parts are in good he=atconductive connection with each other. This produces the further advantage that the plug will act as a heat accumulator which takes up a substantial pant of the heat applied to the left-hand end region III of the contact member during the soldering operation. As a result, the temperature of the intermediate region Will remain relatively low. This is of significance because, in practice, the soldering operation is carried out after the connector has been mounted in place so that only the left end portion constituting the receptacle will project out of the mounting body. This body, as set forth above, is generally made of plastic so that, by keeping down the temperature of the intermediate region and therefore of the mounting means, damage to the mounting body is prevented. Furthermore, beca use the temperature is kept down not only at the intermediate region but also at the right-hand end region. I, at which the resilient contact tongues are located, the resiliency of the contact springs, and therefore the useful life of the con nector, is maintained longer than if these springs were subjeeted to the full impact of the temperature increase resulting from the soldering operation.

Still another advantage of the connector according to the present invention is that it lends itself to simple, quick and economic mass-production techniques. As pointed out above, the contact member 1 may readily be made from a punched blank which is then formed about the plug. The mechanical operations involved are, it will be appreciated, very simple.

A further advantage is that, simply by changing the configuration of thecontact springs 3 of the final product, the contact member may be modified to adapt the connector for use with difierently shaped cooperating contacts. For example, the tongues constituting the springs may be bent to such an extent that their free ends will make contact with a rod-like contact member introduced into the righthand end.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes, and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A plug-in type connector comprising, in combination: an integral tubular contact member constituted from an originally flat blank which has been rolled to assume the tubular configuration; said tubular contact member having two elongated end regions and an intermediate region therebetween; said tubular contact member having, at one of said end regions, means forming contact springs which are adapted to receive between themselves a cooperating fiat, knife-like contact member; said tubular contact member having, in said intermediate region, means forming a mounting device for enabling the connector as a whole to be mounted to a support; said tubular contact member having, at the other of said end regions, means forming a socket for receiving a lead as well as solder with which such lead is attached to the connector; said connector further comprising an elongated generally cylindrical metallic solid plug which extends from said intermediate region of said tubular contact'member to at least approximately the midpoint of saidothe'r end region of said tubular contact member; said plug being made of a material which is softer than the material of which said tubular contact member is made and being firmly rolled up Within the latter and having undergone slight deformation during such rolling up in consequence of which there is established, between that portion of said other end region of said tubular contact member which is unoccu, ied by said plug and said intermediate portion of said tubular contact member a fluid-tight seal winch prevents the formation of capillary passages through which solder, while in liquid form, could otherwise leak from said other end portion of said tubular contact member to said intermediate region thereof, said plug in consequence of its being solid, additionally serving to impart mechanical rigidity to said tubular contact member; said plug, in consequence of its being metallic, additionally serving as a heat accumulator which takes up a substantial part of the heat applied to said other end region of said tubular contact member during soldering of the lead thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,575,656 Stratford et a1 Mar. 9, 1926 2,385,915 Hagedorn et a1 Oct. 2, 1945 2,430,159 Chenier Nov. 4, 1947 2,554,813 Buchanan May 29, 1951 2,691,771 Burtt et a1 Oct. 12, 1954 2,822,529 Heath Feb. 4, 1958 3,020,520 Berg Feb. 6, 1962 3,061,760 Ezzo Oct. 30, 1962 3,065,451 Rutter Nov. 20, 1962 3,083,351 Nielsen Mar. 26, 1963 3,085,220 Sitz Apr. 9, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 572,079 Germany Mar. 10, 1933 

